This invention relates generally to sailboat fittings and more particularly to a sailboat fitting which reduces the wear on a sail caused by contact against a spreader bar.
On most sailboats of twenty feet or larger, overlapping head sail or jibs can blanket a spreader bar which is oriented so as to extend transversely from a mast holding a shroud cable outwardly from the mast. This condition of blanketing the spreader particularly occurs when "close-hauled", namely when the sail is stretched as tightly as possible from bow to stern when sailing into the wind. When the sail is stretched tightly against the spreader and contacts the spreader at the point of junction between the spreader and the shroud lines, a chafe wear point is created causing the sail to wear unusually at this location.
Accordingly, the point of juncture between the spreader and the shroud cable should be reinforced in some way to prevent unusual wear on the sail. Prior art efforts to reduce wear consist of spreader boots which are rubber protection at the juncture of the wood or aluminum spreader and the stranded metal cable. While such boots do eliminate the wood/metal contact against the sail, they do not totally prevent localized wear of the sail at that region. A similar technique to prevent wood/metal to sail contact involves merely covering the juncture with a flexible tape. This also has the disadvantage that it does not totally prevent the localized wear on the relatively expensive sail.
One roller-type prior art device is utilized in this environment and consists of a pair of mating halves of an annular ring clamped together above a stopper element which is itself clamped to the cable. The roller includes an internal bearing surface which rotates directly about and in contact with the cable and is not axially retained relative to the cable or stopper except by the force of gravity causing it to tend to rest against the top surface of the stopper. Such a device, because of its direct rotary bearing surface on the cable, tends to have more turning resistance and creates a rapidly wearing bearing surface at the bore of the roller.
The present invention is directed to an improvement in a roller assembly for securement adjacent to spreader bars. It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a roller assembly for attachment to a shroud providing a smooth, wear-resistant bearing surface for a sail.
Still a further object of the invention is a wear-resistant bearing surface for a sail which is rotatably mounted on an axle which is fixedly mounted on a shroud, thus eliminating a wear surface between the roller and the shroud.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a wear-resistant roller assembly which is easily mounted on the shroud of the sailboat.
The objects and advantages of the above invention are obtained by a roller assembly including an annular roller member and a roller mounting axle member. Each of said members comprises a pair of mating substantially identical half sections adapted to be secured to one another substantially at the diameter of the roller and axle and surrounding the shroud. The mounting axle includes a stub shank extending in one direction from a clamping region. The roller is mounted about the stub shank and the stub shank and roller bore includes means to prevent axial movement relative to one another and further include a rotary bearing surface relationship between the shank and the bore of the roller.
These and other objects and advantates of the invention will be readily understood as the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like elements throughout the several views.